The cheapest — and most expensive — Starbucks drinks around the world

A mug bearing a Starbucks logo is pictured next to coffee beans during a news conference in Tokyo April 13, 2010.
REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

The INSIDER Summary:

Prices for Starbucks drinks vary around the world.

A new study by ValuePenguin found that the US has the cheapest tall latte: $2.75.

In China, a small latte costs $7.18; and in Russia, it costs $12.32.

For most Americans, it's hard to imagine a day without Starbucks. The company seems to have taken over the universe: when they do little more than launch an insane new Frappuccino, open the world's most extravagant store, or offer some kind of miraculous app, the stratosphere goes absolutely bananas.

Now, they have locations in 75 countries and 25,000 locations around the world — some of which offer bizarre drinks we could only dream of in the United States. And, as Pantagraph reports, the company now the second-most valuable restaurant chain in the world after McDonald's. They also open about 2,000 new stores every year.

But not all Starbucks drinks across the globe are created — or priced — equally, says a new study by ValuePenguin. The company measured the price of a "tall" — better known as a small — latte in 44 countries. And the difference in price was astounding.

While most people in the States complain about the price of Starbucks — which, in comparison to most local corner coffee shops, can be almost triple the cost — America was found to have the cheapest: average of $2.75. Other western countries came in close: Australia at $2.86, the United Kindom at $2.88, and Canada at $3.06.

But beyond that, prices start to get crazy.

The study showed that in China, a small latte costs $7.18; and in Russia, it costs $12.32.

Financial experts seem to think that the cost difference is what makes Starbucks brilliant as a brand. In the United States, everyone from teenagers to corporate executives make Starbucks runs throughout the day — so the prices remain moderate (no teenager would ever spend $13 on a latte). But in developing countries, where status and income seem to matter more — and the Starbucks stores get even more gorgeous— the company is apparently trying to position itself as a luxury brand. ValuePenguin says that Starbucks is seen as an "exotic, status-laden chain," and an "embodiment of American affluence," which apparently makes it difficult for other brands to compete with.